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Important information
- Additional Info:As of April 20, 2004: According to this organization's website: "The Board of Examiners in Optometry is provided its powers by the Optometrists Act of British Columbia, and the Rules under that Act.
The Optometrists Act outlines that the duties of the Board is to at all times:
· Serve and protect the public
· Exercise its powers and discharge its responsibilities under all enactments in the public interest.
The Board of Examiners role is that of a public body, whose role is to ensure that public receives competent, up to standard eye care, from those persons licensed to practice Optometry in British Columbia.
In a regulatory function, the Board has, among other things, the following primary objects:
· To superintend the Practice of Optometry in general.
· To govern the members according to the Optometrists Act and its Rules. To do this the Board has several committees made up of Board and appointed members. The Board also meets on a routine basis to carry out its duties as defined by the Act. The Board also has full-time staff to handle ongoing Board activities.
· To establish, monitor and enforce standards of education and qualifications for registration of members. The Board acknowledges the educational standard of accreditation of schools of Optometry designated as accredited by The Council on Optometric Education. To practice in B.C. the Board recognizes the examinations called the CSAO.
· To establish, monitor and enforce standards of practice to ensure the quality of practice and reduce incompetent, impaired or unethical practice amongst members. The Board established a Quality Management Program - Standards and Guidelines document in 1996.
· Establish and maintain a competency program to promote high practice standards amongst members. The Board requires continuing education annually as a condition for re-licensure. In addition, the Board is developing an ongoing Quality Assurance program where every practitioner is reviewed on a rotating basis.
· To establish a patient relations program to seek to prevent professional misconduct of a sexual nature.
· To establish, monitor and enforce standards of professional ethics amongst members. The Code of Ethics forms part of the Rules.